Smoke and Shadows
by AnimeFTW
Summary: Set one year after "Approval." Tomas reflects on his relationship with Bi-Han, along with the lack of knowledge of his past.


A/N: This is my twelfth fan fiction. This story takes place one year after _Approval_.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to anything involving Mortal Kombat. The franchise belongs to Ed Boon.

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It was a cloudy day at the Lin Kuei Temple. Tomas Vrbada didn't mind it, since he was in his room, unaffected by the weather. He sat on the floor and took a deep breath. He decided to use this day to reflect on the most important things in his life.

Today marked one year since he and Bi-Han revealed their relationship to Kuai Liang, who approved of it. The smoke user smiled at the thought of that day, relieved that Kuai supported them then, and still does to this day.

His thoughts turned to Bi-Han. The elder Cryomancer still had a lot to learn when it came to romance, and was never the one to initiate romantic things, but he was earnest with what he did know. The silver-haired man actually liked that he was the one who always hugged or kissed first, as the black-haired man looked cute afterwards. Tomas chuckled as he recalled when he told him that, and Bi-Han's reaction to it.

" _I am not cute!" the warrior retorted, cheeks turning pink._

" _You definitely are right now!" the gray-tinged man grinned._

 _Bi-Han turned his head to the side, cheeks still burning. This gave Tomas the perfect opportunity to kiss his cheek. Bi-Han's eyes widened at what just happened, his head snapping back to face Tomas, face turning red._

" _Now you're just adorable!" the Czechoslovakian man laughed._

 _The Chinese man tried to get angry, but ended up laughing instead. Tomas hugged him by his waist, while Bi-Han rested his hands on Tomas's shoulders._

" _Only for you," he replied, smiling._

The memory finished, Tomas smiling from it. He hoped that he and Bi-Han would make more memories like that in the future.

 _Look to the future, since you can't remember your past._

Tomas frowned at the sudden thought. He hadn't thought about his past, or lack of memories of it, in a while. But now that it was on his mind, it was all that he could think about. He was thirty-two years old now, and he still knew nothing. There were no leads, no new information, nothing. The lack of results was from both Tomas not finding anything, and the Lin Kuei turning up empty-handed, time after time.

Tomas's frown transformed into a dour scowl. Years ago, he accepted that the clan of assassins had no intention of keeping the promise they made to him when they brought him to the temple.

 _I just wish they'd admit it_ , he thought in a bitter tone.

Of course, he would never say that out loud, lest he be executed for doubting the grandmaster. Tomas sighed when the familiar feeling of whenever he got upset about not remembering his past let its presence be known. Knowing what to do, he turned into smoke. Whenever he did that, he felt unburdened, no longer weighed down by expectations, being in the Lin Kuei, and remembering nothing. He could get lost in the smoky void, and not have to worry about anything for a while. He stayed like that for a few minutes. Normally, that was all the time it took for that feeling to subside, and he would be his usual self when he shifted back into human form. This time, however, it persisted.

 _I never act on this thing_ , Tomas considered. _I know I thought I'd lose myself if I did, but would that actually happen?_

He contemplated it for a few moments. He was in his room, and it was just him. He could always tell Bi-Han about it later on.

 _Just this once_ , he decided, letting the feeling take over.

He turned back into human form, unable to see a thing.

 _I don't think I shut my eyes_ , the smoke user doubted.

Surprisingly, he didn't feel any dread about his loss of sight. Rather, he felt calm, almost as if he was in a trance.

 _This isn't so bad_ , he thought. _I should have done this a long time ago._

Before he could ponder any further, he heard a knock on his door.

"Tomas?" Bi-Han called, sounding tired. "It's me. May I come in?"

Bi-Han's voice snapped Tomas out of his trancelike state, although he was still unable to see.

"Of course," he responded, reaching for the doorknob and opening the door.

A few seconds later, he could see again. He looked at Bi-Han, who stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. The Lin Kuei's greatest assassin resembled a balloon that lost all its air, emotional and mental exhaustion all too apparent. In short, he needed to vent to Tomas sooner rather than later. Bi-Han looked confused for a second, then rubbed his eyes and shook his head.

"Bi-Han, are you okay?" the gray-eyed man asked.

"Not entirely," the blue-eyed man answered. "I was seeing something completely nonsensical just now. I hallucinated that you didn't have eyes or eye sockets."

"What?" Tomas was just as confused now. "Wow, you really need some rest. Or do you need to vent? Should we go to our usual spot?"

"It'll take too long to go there," Bi-Han responded. "Your room's good."

"Okay," Tomas nodded. "Do you want to sit down?"

"I'll stand," Bi-Han declined, walking to the center of the room.

"Alright," Tomas accepted, following him, giving him enough space.

The ice wielder looked at Tomas, then sighed.

"You know what I normally vent to you about," he began. "That feeling I've been fighting for a long time."

"Yes," Tomas nodded.

"The last mission I was on was an assassination mission," the elder Cryomancer continued. "The client wanted the target's death to be… graphic, which is why I was assigned to it. As it was a mission, I did what I was supposed to do. That feeling—that voice—reveled in it. The violence, the bloodshed, the death. It loved all of that. In that moment, I did as well."

The look on Bi-Han's face was full of disgust and self-loathing at his admission.

"I thought I was getting rid of it, but there I was, embracing it," he went on, voice matching his expression. "Why won't it leave? Why am I like this? What is wrong with me?"

"Something like this can't leave with just a snap of your fingers," Tomas advised. "It takes time, and you've been doing a fantastic job. I know you don't feel like you are right now, but you really are. As for why you're like this, it's because you're a Lin Kuei with huge expectations placed on you. Anyone else would have fallen due to what that brings, but you're still here, and you'll always be here. Bi-Han, that's not the real you. I know this, because you don't want that to be who you are, and you're actively fighting against that being who you are. Someday, you won't need to fight anymore, and we'll welcome that day. Until then, you're not alone. You have Kuai, and you have me."

Bi-Han took all of this in. A few moments later, he nodded.

"Yes, you're right," he said. "If that really was me, I would have accepted that, and never looked back. But it's not, and I don't."

He smiled.

"You always know what to say to keep me grounded," Bi-Han complimented. "Thank you for being there for me, Tomas."

"You're welcome, Bi-Han," Tomas smiled back.

"Allow me to return the favor," the black-haired man offered. "You look like you need to vent as well. Before you say it, yes, I'm okay now. I'm sure of it. It's your turn now."

The silver-haired man hesitated, then nodded.

"Very well," he accepted. "Before you came here, I was upset about not remembering my past again. This time, instead of putting down that feeling, I decided to let it run its course. I couldn't see anything, but I had a sense of calmness, wondering why I always worried about it before. You knocked, and it ended."

"You said you couldn't see anything?" the Chinese man focused on that.

"Yes," the Czechoslovakian man confirmed. "I was in smoke form before you knocked. I was probably still shifting back when you saw me."

"That's probably it," the blue-eyed man agreed. "The upper half of your face being completely blank is unexplainable otherwise, unless I really was seeing things."

"One of those two things," the gray-eyed man concluded.

"I'm surprised you felt calm," the assassin admitted. "You always made it sound like the opposite would happen."

"Me too," the warrior assented. "And yet, that wasn't the outcome."

"Are you feeling alright now?" Bi-Han asked.

"I am," Tomas replied. "It was weird, but I'm fine."

"We're going to be fine," Bi-Han stated.

"Yes, we are," Tomas affirmed.

Tomas hugged Bi-Han by the shoulders, Bi-Han reciprocating the hug almost instantly. One of Tomas's hands went to the back of Bi-Han's head, slowly bringing his head down to gently press their foreheads together. They closed their eyes upon contact, enjoying the intimacy and the peace it brought them.

As their eyes were closed, they didn't notice their shadows changing form. Bi-Han's shadow became a hooded figure, whose all-white eyes were visible. Said eyes looked like they belonged to the dead, not a shadow.

Tomas's shadow did not resemble a human at all. It was a monster; clawed, sharp-toothed, and lacking eyes and eye sockets. It billowed in silence, as if it was made of smoke.

The shadows remained that way for some time, then reverted to their original state.

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A/N: That was fanfic number twelve. I hope you enjoyed it!


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